Not the level of depth I look forward to reading and have grown acustomed to expect. There is obviously much more to say on the subject, though I acknowledge the humor and point to writing a clear concise blog on clear concise writing.

This is a terrific post. Clarity = Connection. A common trap for copywriters is to obsess with creativity (for creativity’s sake), which increases the risk that their copy will lose their audience — and lead to disappointing response rates. Simple, clearly written copy that connects with your audience and guides them to respond the way you want them to will always win over “creative-obsessed” copy.

I like your emphasis that clarity comes from deeply caring if people truly understand.

Lucky for me, I don’t publish a post until my brother has looked over it. And vice versa. No matter how well intentioned we are, we may think a particular sentence is crystal clear when in truth, it’s not.

Yep, that’s the key… writing like you talk. I like to use a little trick that I learned from copywriter Ben Settle. He says that he pretends that he is writing his periodic emails to his grandmother. This way you don’t say anything you’ll regret too much, and you have to make sure your audience gets what you are trying to say, even if it’s technical.

Short and sweet. Less is best. Show don’t tell. Certain elements work while others don’t work.

Proper English and grammer, as well as Correct spelling leads an editor, publisher to believe you are highly quailified and professional.

Gone are the days when folk such as Margerat Mitchell could ship off a manuscript that was as badly damaged as hers, wrinkled, crinckled, coffee stains.

But in consideration of her journalisitic achievements and her grand reputation, is it any wonder that David O Selznick fought and won to produce, direct and sometimes write and bring onto the silver screen a masterpiece of noteworthy value still alive today as it will be tomorrow.

Be concise and steady in your writing. You’ll always be in demand and have plenty of readers who will go out of their way to buy your works and to seek you out in at book signings.

I tend to be long winded ( something I totally recognize and something I’m working to improve) thus my blog posts and email tips seem to be long winded as well. So this year I am making much more of an effort so say important “stuff” with fewer words….as I ramble on here, oh boy.

G’day Brian, An elegant post practicing what it preaches. Thanks. In his 1968 book “The Technique of Clear Writing,” Robert Gunning lists his ten principles of clear writing.
Keep sentences short
Prefer the simple to the complex
Prefer the familiar word
Avoid unnecessary words
Put action into your verbs
Write like you talk
Use terms your reader can picture
Tie in with your readers’ experience
Make full use of variety
Write to express not impress.
You can buy a used copy cheaply at Amazon.
Best Wishes Leon

yeah, these are actually the simple but basic strategies to implement in one’s writing. Some people may belittle them claiming that simple language does not reflect one’s actual level. They Do reflect a level even better than the actual one as they make it easy to avoid many complicated and faulty constructions that the individual could not have a good grasp of

Unfortunately, I DO write the way I speak, which is why I end up with too many useless words! My favorite part of the process is editing my own work and plucking out all but the essentials.
Now I’ll edit. Ready….
“I write and edit my own work.” Ta Da!
Thanks, Brian!

Before the Net, I used to submit to the letters to the editor section of my local paper. They had a 300 word limit, which taught me (forced me) how to decide what exactly it was I wanted to say, and get on with it. Good exercise!

But now on the Net, no limits, no editors, oh my, it’s like a free open bar for word addicts.

Anybody here remember I-Sales Digest, one of the first online business journals? Anybody could submit a post, but the editor only ran the better posts. We could use more moderated discussions like that.

Phil-
I love your term “brevity deficit syndrome!” Maybe we should start a 12-step program.
I agree with Lexi: I think brilliance is more impressive than clarity.
Perhaps we can all agree that if you’re really brilliant, you can convey it clearly and concisely.

@Pat, a piece of advice that Brian’s been giving forever is this: write for readers first, Google second. Google robots don’t have credit cards. Google’s not going to ever become your customer.

In my experience, if your content is long enough to be useful to your readers, Google doesn’t have any problem recognizing it as unique. That’s assuming your site is properly optimized in the first place, but that’s not difficult for a blogger, particularly if you use a theme like Thesis that’s well optimized for SEO.